Freedom From Hunger

Mission:
Freedom from Hunger offers women in poor, rural areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America a powerful combination of microfinance, education and health-protection services so they can feed their children, safeguard their health and gain lasting knowledge and skills. Our programs build on a woman’s determination, courage, entrepreneurial spirit and love for her children. We increase sustainability through collaboration with in-country partners, and rigorous impact studies show that integrating microfinance with other needed services can alleviate poverty, improve health and end hunger—one family at a time, millions of people a year. Results:
Freedom from Hunger’s 49 staff have trained and supported 150 partners in 20 countries, who are currently reaching more than 4.4 million people (almost all women in poor rural communities) and benefiting a total of over 24 million, when their family members are included. Geographic areas served:
Africa, Asia and Latin America Programs:
For Assa Fofana, nothing is simple. If her child comes down with malaria—common in Mali—she cannot sell vegetables at the market so that her children have enough to eat that day. Instead, she stays home with her sick child. Savings set aside to buy food during the hungry season are spent on malaria medicine. She needs a loan to grow her business and earn more money, but her rural village is beyond the reach of banks and even most microcredit providers. School is expensive in Mali, but she knows her children’s education is vital for her family to end generations of poverty and hunger.
Freedom from Hunger knows that Assa and more than a billion people like her need more than money to defeat poverty. That’s why our programs combine microfinance with education and health services, including health savings, health loans, health insurance, health education, group discounts with health providers, mobile healthcare in rural villages, distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, and more. To ensure lasting change, we train local organizations to deliver our programs cost-effectively and independently. We have shown that combining microfinance with education and health services is smart, both for women and for the local organizations that serve them. More and more local organizations are joining us in integrating programs to alleviate world poverty.

Community Reviews

Several years ago I checked out this program and started donating. I got impressed enough that I now donate monthly. What they do just makes sense to help women in the worst conditions learn how to help themselves an get on their feet to improve the situations of themselves and their families. Educations and a small loan equals empowerment and improved health and life situations.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

When I first learned about Freedom From Hunger, and their method of combining education with credit for very poor women in developing countries, I realized the tremendous potential for alleviating hunger and malnutrition in countries where extreme poverty exists. I have visited with credit groups consisting of 20-30 women in Mali & Ghana in West Africa, Bolivia, and the Philippines. There I saw first hand what FFH is accomplishing. A lady operating a small store (4’ X 6’) on a busy street in the Philippines, made possible with loans from a FFH credit group, told me what she appreciated most was when one of her two small sons is ill she does not have to decide whether to spend money on Food or Medicine, she can have both. One FFH field trainer told of the woman in West Africa who, after a training session on Child Survival, came up to her crying and said if she had known before what she had just learned her two babies would not have died. Multiply these two examples by some TWO MILLION women and their families. These women through education and empowerment gained via Freedom From Hunger’s efforts will add a very positive power for good in the development of their countries.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

As a public health nutritionist I am most interested in helping organizations that help promote nutrition and health of women and their families. Freedom from Hunger does this and so much more! Through their Credit with Education and Saving for Change programs, Freedom from Hunger enables women to develop the skills and knowledge to begin a business, refund the money loaned to them, care for their family through improved nutition and health care, and even save money and loan to other women.
I have been most impressed by the professionalism of Freedom from Hunger staff While a relatively small organization, they work efficiently with regional staff to reach women throughout the world to help them develop self-sufficiency along with improved confidence and self-esteem.
I will continue to prioritize my support with Freedom from Hunger being my top recipient.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

I've been an active donor to Freedom from Hunger for at least 15 years and follow their work and new initiatives closely. I was drawn by the emphasis on empowerment of poor rural women in developing countries for economic self-sufficiency. I particularly like the combination of micro-loans with education in health and nutrition as well as managing a micro-business and developing savings. I am convinced that when women become earners, their priorities are food and education for their children. This enables more of their daughters, especially, to stay in school.
Through all their partnerships, Freedom from Hunger multiplies many times every dollar contributed. With fewer than 50 staff worldwide, they serve over 2 million women today. I am so committed to their work that I talk about the organization to my friends, women's organizations I am part of, and my church's international outreach.
Most recently, with a goal of helping more local women make a link of giving to women internationally through NGO's they can have confidence in, I established an endowed fund connected with the Women's Fund in our local Community Foundation. Freedom from Hunger was one of the 2 organizations selected to be major recipients of the yearly grants.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

I chose this organization to send hard earned money to because their goals and programs parallel my ideas for real change in this world. I firmly believe that empowering women is the best way for true change in individuals and the ripple effect in families and then into communities. Microfinance loans combined with education is a win/win situation. The fact that their payback rate allows more money to be loaned is admirable. It is really a high return investment.
I will probably never meet any of the women my donations have helped but knowing that my money is being used wisely by careful concerned people makes me glad to do what I can.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

Freedom from Hunger provides funding and technical assistance to the least served, generally rural populations, in Asia, India, Africa and Latin America. They create local organizations and then support them over time with best practices information. We visited a pilot program in Bolivia that brought MD's to rural locations to perform colposcopy exams to ensure early detection of uterine abnormalities. This program demonstrated that there is high trust of this group. The need is to better articulate their impact and unique contributions in the field. In Bolivia there are over 100 micro-finance organizations and they are one of only two that reach into the rural areas.

I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...

Bolivia where Freedom from Hunger created a robust local organization CRECER. CRECER now operates throughout Bolivia. They are one of only two groups delivering micro-finance,credit with health education programs in rural areas there.

If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...

Focus on clear communication of unique characteristics of programs, populations served and outcomes and impacts. Continue to use personal and technical networking to build understanding of the core capabilities, history and process of Freedom from Hunger.

What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...

Experiencing development work in the field.

The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...

extraordinary in their experience, deep knowledge and sophistication about creating and evaluating programs.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

Freedom from Hunger has been helping women for over 50 years. They know how to partner with local organizations in each region - a crucial part of a successful program. I am particularly proud of the "Credit with Education" program, which has reached so many women and by extension their families in rural regions of developing countries. I am proud to be a long term sponsor of this particular program.

I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...

While I have never traveled to Africa or South America to PERSONALLY experience the results, I read carefully each annual report for concrete evidence of women positively effected by this effort. It is amazing the positive results.